On October 1, TaeTiSeo held a private fan sign event for the first time following the shocking news of Jessica’s withdrawal from Girls’ Generation.

The previous day, on September 30, the eight members of Girls’ Generation wrapped up their fan meeting in China and returned to Korea at around 6 a.m. on the morning of October 1 and headed straight to the fan sign event in Cheonryang-ri, Seoul.

According to posts made on fan communities on the Internet following the fan signing, Taeyeon shed tears as she expressed to the fans: “From the very beginning, all we’ve wanted to do was protect Girls’ Generation. We’re sorry. Please believe in us one more time. We will make sure only good things happen from now on.” Member Seohyun was also unable to hold back her tears as Taeyeon addressed the fans.

Meanwhile, this particular fan sign event drew much attention from the media and the public in the midst of controversy surrounding Jessica’s departure from the group.

As of now, both Jessica and SM Entertainment have released official statements and shared their stance on the current situation.